Improvement in burglar-proof safes



EDWARD KJ HALL Improvement in Burglar Proof Safes;

Patented )une 6,1871.

10,115,728.y Jing! mmm ' EDWARD n. HALL, or LOUISVILLE, irnnfrnonr.

iMFRoVEmEN-r 1N euReLAR-PROOF sAFEs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,728, dated June 6, 1871.

To all whom ,it may concern.- l

Be it known that I, EDWARD K. HALL, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain Improvements in Safes, Vaults, Cells, 85e., of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to safes for the preservation of valuables; and the invention consists, first, in a novel manner of constructing the body of the safe 5 and, second, in anovel method of securing the door to the body, all as hereinafter more fully explained.

Figure l is a front view of a safe with the door open. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, taken parallel with the door, on the line z .of of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a portion taken on the line w a' of Fig. l and y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the plates detached. Fig. 5 is a front edge view of the same 5 and Fig. 6 is a top edge view of one of the back plates, and showing its union with the side plates.

In constructing my safe I make the body of a series of iron and steel plates, arranged alternately, as represented in Fig. 2, in which a" ting out a rectangular plate several inches longer and wider than the finished plate is to be. I then cut a rectangular notch in each corner, and after heating the plate I turn up a flan ge a few inches'wideon three of its edges, as shown in Fig. a, in which d, m, and f indicate the flanges thus formed. The flange f on one edge is left of the full thickness of the plate, but the other two flanges, d. and m, are cut away along their inner faces to one-half of their original thickness, as there shown. The remaining fourth edge, h, instead of being turned up into a ian ge, is left projecting, but is planed or cut away along its back side to onehalf of its thickness, so that it corresponds in .thickness with the iianges d and m. I then provide for the back a corresponding series of plates, o, which are simply cut of the proper size, and have a rabbet, Z, out along each of their edges on the back side, as shown in Fig. 6. With plates thus formed the body of the safe is built up by securing to suitable corner pieces e four of the plates a, one on top, one

at the bottom, and one onleach side, and adding a back plate, o, the thick ange f of plates a being always placed at the front, as shown in Fig. 3. To these areisecured a corresponding series of steel plates, b, and then over these again another series'of theiron plates a and a back plate, 0, and so on continuously to any desired extent, the drawing representing ve thicknesses of plates-three of iron and two of steel.

It will be observedgzthat when'a'series of plates, a, thus formed with anges, is applied to a cubicA body, they will fit readily thereon with their dan ges fitting over the corners and lapping over the recessed edgesh of one another 5 and that thus each plate assists to hold the other three side plates, and also the back plate, in place; and that by this construction and arrangement of the plates the angles along each'side or edge of the safe are formed of solid metal, instead of leaving a joint by the abutment of the edge of one plate against the face of another, as has heretofore been the custom. It will of course be understood that the plates are to be securely fastened together by bolts or rivets, for this purpose I prefer to use the conical bolts heretofore patented by J. L. Hall, one such being represented in each side of the safe in the Figs. l, 2, 'and 3.

To secure the door of the safe to the body and prevent them from being' forced asunder by the insertion of wedges or similar means, I construct the frame, or face of the jambs against which the door shuts, with a series of recesses, o, of T-form, as shown in Fig. 1, and on the inner or abutting face of the door I form a corresponding series of similar-shaped projections, a, these latter being arranged to enter the recesses o as the door is closed. It will thusbe seen that when the door is closed it is securely clamped or locked to the frame at top, bottom, and on each side, and that it will thus be impossible to force them asunder.

The advantages of this plan over that ot 2 n I M532@ dovetailed .recesses and projections are very great, inasmuch as in the latter there must al- Ways be left considerable play in order to enable the door to close readily, and then when closed the strain is brought upon an inclined surface-the sides of the dovetail-instead of direct upon a flat face, as in the case of these T-heads.

As a Whole, the construction of safes on the plan herein described is believed to be one of the best ever devised, and by it I am enabled to produce a 'safe of exceeding great strength and compactness.

It is obvious that instead of making the locking projections and recesses in the form of the letter T they may be made like an inverted L, the only dierenoe being that in the latter case there will be but one lateral projection, Whereas in the former there will be two for each projection.

It will of course be understood that thisinvention is applicable alike to all styles of safes, vaults, cells, and similar structures, and I so intend to apply it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is I 1. The plates a, constructed substantially as herein described, for use in safes, vaults, &c., as set forth.

2. The rabbeted back plates o, in combination with the series of plates a, When constructed and arranged substantially as described.

3. The T-shaped recesses fv, in combination With the correspondingly-shaped projections a, when applied to the doors of safes, vaults, or cells, substantially as set forth.

EDWARD K. HALL.

v Witnesses:

W. C. DODGE, H. B. MUNN. 

